Trouble Comes in Threes
by historian
Summary: AU. MMPR-Space-DinoThunder. With the exception of Mesogog, the galaxy has known 6 years of peace and prosperity since Zordon's Wave. But now, a trio of villians plot to plunge the galaxy back into darkness...by resurrecting the United Alliance of Evil!
1. Chapter 1

_Summary: Mesogog has been defeated, and now that the danger has passed, Tommy is throwing a "Ranger reunion" to introduce his old teammates to the Dino Thunder teens._

_But now..._

_One villian has returned from another dimension. One villian has been resurrected from the dead. One villian has been freed from ten thousand years of imprisoment._

_Together, they will plunge the galaxy back into darkness..._

_Author's Notes: This is both a MMPR/Space/DinoThunder crossover and an Alternate Universe. In this Universe, no new villians (except Mesogog, who was created by a lab accident) rose up, and there was no need for new Rangers until the Dino Thunders._

_A word of warning; this story includes two OC (Original Character) villians. I know some people don't care for OCs. Please don't let this put you off, however; this fic will also feature TONS of canon characters. I hope you enjoy._

For six years, the galaxy had known peace and prosperity. Zordon's Wave had scoured the galaxy of all evils, and none had risen to take their place. The United Alliance of Evil was gone, and so was the War that had scarred the thousands of worlds for millenia untold. It was a time of rebuilding; of sharing technologies (Earth in particular benefited from this); of focusing on things other than holding the Darkness back. Many Ranger teams stood down, stashing their morphers in a safe place and returning to civilian life. Although the most famous team of all, the Astro Rangers, the ones who had defeated the Countdown, did not do this, they too focused on other things, attending college and enjoying being able to date outside the team without having to suddenly be called away.

But in the dark depths of space, the last villain watched and waited.

Yes, Zordon's Wave had missed one individual. He had been in another dimension during the Countdown, and had survived. Whether Zordon knew this or not will never be answered, but apparently even his power had limits. It could not reach this villain.

Which was not to say he was not affected by the Wave. When he returned to his home dimension one year after the Countdown, he found his that fellow villians (including his best friend) were literally dust in the wind. The handful that survived were unrecognizable. First came the grief that wracked his soul. Then came the rage.

But unlike nearly all of the other villians, he burned cold, not hot. He had self control. He knew lashing out in anger would lead only to his own destruction. He could not take on an entire galaxy by himself. So he began to plan. And when the plan was complete, he began to gather the neccessary materials.

He was constantly amazed at how _easy_ it was. Everyone, even the Rangers who should have known better, had let their guard down. Vital technology had been left literally lying around. A little had been salvaged so its' technology could be studied, but the rest had just been left where it was. Did they REALLY think evil was gone forever? How stupid could they be?

The _piece de resistance_ had been the fully operational Machine Empire Skybase he had salvaged to use as a headquarters. He had also added the cloaking device from the Dark Fortress, making it virtually undetectable. But there were other pieces as well.

Finster's Monster Maker.

Rita's spell books.

Zedd's "Dark Demon of Destruction", Serpentera, the most powerful Zord ever built.

And the Machine Empire's Neo-Plutonium Core, which solved Serpentera's chronic power shortage once and for all.

Soon the pieces were in place. But still, he waited. While he was less egotistical and arrogant than most of his colleagues, he still appreciated irony. He intended to wait until the _proper_ moment had come to teach the Rangers, and the galaxy as a whole, a very important lesson.

Evil never dies.

And then, the moment came.

To Zhane (the Silver Astro Ranger) and his wife Karone (who, unbeknownst to all but a few, had been the villain Astronema), a child was to be born.

And in the darkness Donovan, the Dark Warrior, smiled, for it was time to begin at last.


	2. Chapter 2

Donovan's Skybase dropped out of hyper-rush and into orbit around a surpremely uninteresting planet. It had no atmosphere and no native life. It had no valuable natural resources. It had NOTHING. It was so unimportant it didn't even have a name.

But it was very important to Donovan indeed.

There was no possible reason for anyone to visit this planet...which meant it made a perfect prison.

After teleporting down to the surface (protecting himself with a magic forcefield), Donovan quickly made his way into a nearby cave. He had been here once before, two years ago, to follow up on a hunch--a hunch that had turned out to be correct.

He wasn't the only one Zordon's Wave had missed. And now that Zordon was gone, the powerful forcefield that had protected the cave (identitical to the one protecting the Zeo Crystal) was gone as well.

Summoning a floating globe of light, Donovan navigated the twists and turns of the cavern, finally coming upon a dusty piece of machinery. It was a cryogenic tube, very similiar to the one Zhane had spent two years in. The wear and tear on this one, however, showed that it had been functioning for far longer than that.

Visible through the frosted glass was a stunningly beautiful woman who appeared to be in her late twenties. Donovan smiled down at her, then shut down the tube, allowing the occupant to awaken. "Time to wake up, Ice," he said softly.

The humming of the tube died, and after about ten minutes, the hatch opened. Ice lifted herself into a sitting position, lush blond hair cascading down her back. She focused blue eyes that could enslave any man on Donovan. "Donovan," she said with no emotion, and then, "how long?"

"Ten thousand years," he replied soberly.

Ice didn't even blink. "And Zordon?"

"Dead and gone."

"I assume you have a plan, as always?"

"Indeed. However, I have one more person to bring in on this, and I would prefer to explain myself only once. Can you walk?"

Ice looked down at her legs, then up at him. "No," she admitted. "You'll have to carry me."

"Your legs should regain function soon," he assured her. He picked her up, one arm under her legs, and the other around her back. She wrapped his arms around his neck. There was nothing romantic or even emotional about it. It was simply two people doing what needed to be done.

Neither one of them looked back as they left the cave.

---

Aboard the Skybase several hours later, Ice had indeed regained the use of her legs. Dressed now in a functional jumpsuit, she watched calmly as Donovan spread several dusty tomes one the table in front of him. He muttered to himself as he turned each one to the proper page, then looked up at her. "You may want to step back," he advised. "I've never actually tried this before." Ice retreated to the doorway of the large room.

Steadying himself, Donovan began to chant in a language long forgotten. Normally a spell like this would be far beyond his power, but he'd found in the books--Rita's books--ways to boost his own moderate magic abilities. Even so, this would take every drop of power he possessed.

His chanting grew louder and louder, power infusing his voice. A bright gold light formed in the middle of a chalked circle, slowing growing in size and assuming a humanoid form.

Donovan screamed the final word, and a bolt of lightning crashed into the circle. Exhausted, and with sweat pouring off him, he collapsed to the floor.

Ice raised an eyebrow. "Well, look who's back."

"I live again!" Goldar of Titan roared.

"Always the drama queen," she commented.

--

An hour later, a recovered Donovan met with his two allies on the bridge of the Skybase. "The UAE is gone," he stated flatly. Goldar gasped in surprise; Ice, as usual, showed no emotion. "When Andros shattered Zordon's tube, it released an energy wave of cosmic proportions. Evil beings throughout the galaxy were destroyed." He paused. "With four exceptions (not including Ice here): Rita, Zedd, Divatox, and Astronema were purged of their evil and became..._good_." His face showed his disgust. "That was six years ago. Our enemies have grown fat and complacent. They truly believe the darkness is gone. I intend to show them the errors of their ways. Are you with me?"

"Always, old friend!" Goldar affirmed. Ice merely nodded.

"Good. Here's my plan..." as the Dark Warrior outlined his ideas, a fiendish smirk grew on Goldar's face. Ice seldom smiled, but her eyes glittered in anticipation.

This was going to be _GOOD..._


	3. Chapter 3

It was a peaceful sight: a beautiful couple, husband and wife, asleep in a comfortable bedroom in a modest house. You never would have guessed by looking at them that the man had once held a significant portion of the galaxy in a iron grip, or that the woman had battled for thousands of years against the greatest champion the Light had ever known. Rita and Zedd had definetely changed.

It had not been an easy transition. The guilt over their actions had nearly destroyed them; it was what Tommy Oliver went through a thousand times over. Despite their conversion, few were willing to trust them. Finally, it was neccessary to flee their past simply to survive.

They chose an out-of-the-way farming planet neither of them had ever heard of, changing their identies and living quietly on their small farm. It was a far cry from holding the fate of the galaxy in their hands, but they found it a refreshing change to create life instead of taking it. They were content.

But as they were about to learn, you can't run away from your problems.

A golden flash appeared and faded in the darkened room. Goldar stared for a moment at his former masters. Even though Donovan had forewarned him, it was still a shock to see them like this. Back before his death, he'd thought more than once that he wouldn't mind seeing them cut down to size. But now that they had been, it was just... disturbing.

Goldar was sorely tempted to wake them up and see their reaction to him being alive again, but Donovan had firmly vetoed that idea. His friend had long argued that a villian's greatest weakness was arrogance, and since they were now carrying out HIS plan, he would tolerate none of it. Goldar had to admit that he'd made the mistake of gloating prematurely several times, and lived to regret it.

This time, they were going to do it right.

So he simply cast a sleep spell on Zedd and Rita, deepening their slumber to the point were they wouldn't wake up if he tap-danced on their heads. Then the golden flames took all three of them away.

---

Divatox had fared far better in her post-evil life than Zedd and Rita. She'd found a field of work were they didn't care about her past, only her talent: clothing design. In her millenias as a pirate, she'd seen--and worn--- just about every piece of clothing money could buy. Even then she had a discerning eye (on a galactic level, of course; the Turbo Rangers and other Earthers had found her fashion sense deplorable by their standards) and the "good Divatox" had quickly found her niche.

Of all the former villians, Divatox had probably changed the least. While she no longer killed people or looted planets, she still enjoyed money and everything it could buy. Being the top fashion designer in the galaxy provided her with plenty of money. All in all, she was very happy.

She was hard at work in her expansive office, working late into the night as she often did. A knock at the door interrupted her. "Finally!" she grumbled. She'd ordered the coffee fifteen minutes ago. She'd become addicted to the stuff during her year on Earth, and that had survived Zordon's Wave as well.

Walking to the door, she opened it and immediately noticed that 1) the woman on the other side didn't have her coffee, and 2) she was wearing a functional green _jumpsuit_.

"Honey, you SO need my help!" Divatox exclaimed, shaking her head.

Ice's response was a high kick to Divatox's forehead, carefully calculated to merely knock her unconscious rather than rip her head clean off, which Ice was also capable of doing.

Carefully picking the limp form of of the ex-pirate, Ice stepped into the swirling blue portal that formed behind her.

---

Karone studied herself in the mirror, turning to one side to view her profile. No, her figure still hadn't changed in the two months she'd been pregnant. Of course, that would change rather drastically. Not that she was vain (at least, not since she stopped being Astronema), but she had the feeling she was not going to like being fat.

But it was all going to be worth it. A son. She'd never thought she'd see the day when she'd be so happy. Or that she would feel so guilt-free about it.

Like all the ex-villians, she'd struggled long and hard over the guilt she felt over her evil acts. Unlike them, she had a brother, the man she loved, and four best friends to help her though it. It had been neither easy nor short, but she'd conquered her regrets. When Zhane finally asked her to marry him two years after the Countdown, she'd said yes without hesitation.

Things were..._almost_ perfect.

There was one fly in the ointment. Lerigoti, one of the greatest champions of the Light, had been found murdered (along with his wife) on their home planet five days ago. A shocked planetary government asked Andros and Zhane to investigate, as KO-35 was only two days away by hyper-rush. No one knew what to think of the murders. Was it a random act, or was something darker involved? That last possibility was the reason for involving Rangers.

They'd all done their best to minimize their concerns, but Karone had seen the shadows in the Red and Silver Astro Rangers' eyes. They'd all hoped and prayed that the period of darkness was behind them, but who else besides a villian would even _want_ to kill someone like Lerigoti?

Well, it was none of Karone's concern. She was going anywhere near anything REMOTELY dangerous until her baby was born, and hopefully long after. "I'll take good care of you," she whispered, putting her hands on her stomach.

A new figure joined her reflection in the mirror, eyes glowing blue. "But who will take care of YOU, Princess?" he asked softly.

Even with all her experience, all the combat training drilled into her by Ecliptor, the sight was so unexpected that she froze completely. "You..you're _dead!_" she stammered in disbelief.

Blue light lashed out from Donovan's raised hand, engulfing Karone. He caught her as she crumpled. "And you're unconscious," he replied simply, teleporting away.

---

Back on the Skybase, the trio of villians studied their captives. Each of them were confined in a stasis tube mounted on an antigravity plate, floating in the air. They were totally unaware of what was happening. Donovan had learned from the mistakes of the past. There would be no last-minute escapes, no talking to each other to boost each other's morale. The villains were taking no chances.

"Phase One is complete," Donovan stated with satisfaction. "Phase Two will begin in two days. That should be long enough for the Astro Rangers to reassemble and begin looking for Karone."

"I wish I could be with you, my friend," Goldar growled. "You should not have to face the Earth Rangers alone."

"Ice will assist me, Goldar. And as I told you, I need you to transport the tubes to their destination. Additionally, while the Rangers know you, Ice and I will be completely unfamiliar to them. Not to mention the _many_ surprises I have in store for them. I'm not claiming we'll beat them--they ARE the Earth Rangers--we'll give them a fight to remember. If it makes you feel any better, YOU are the key player. We're merely the distraction."

---

Two days later, Goldar bid his comrades farewell and stepped through Donovan's portal. After he left, Donovan and Ice settled themselves in a certain control room. "Have you figured out the controls, Ice?"

"Yes. They are relatively simple."

"Zords usually are, despite their power."

"If Goldar can do it, I can do it better."

"No backstabbing, Ice," Donovan reprimanded gently. "We're all in this together. Is the Power Core charged?'

"Charging complete."

"Launch!"

With a flash of red eyes and a roar that could seemingly almost be heard even in the vacuum of space, Serpentera came to life.

---

Next chapter: Phase two begins--and the Rangers are in for the fight of their lives. Too bad they don't know **that's not what's important!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Notes: I'd just thought you'd like to know what the pairings are going to be in this story._

_Jason/Kimberly (eventually)_

_Billy/Trini_

_Zack/Angela_

_Rocky/Aisha_

_Adam/Tanya_

_Andros/Ashley_

_Justin/Cassie (hey, he's an ADULT now. Besides, I never liked the way Phantom Ranger kept toying with her emotions.)_

_**TOMMY/KAT**_

_Yes, this is a Tommy/Kat fic. I was hesitant about doing this, since I'm afraid I'll immediately lose 90 percent of my readers, but I decided to go for it. If you don't care for this relationship, there are gazillions of excellent Tommy/Kim fics on this site for you to read._

_Where do I stand on the great Kim/Kat debate? Both sides, actually. I firmly believe that, at different times in his life, Tommy was in love with both of these extraordinary women...and, at different times in their lives, they were in love with him. Having said that, I do feel that the Tommy/Kat relationship was the more mature one, since they were closer to be being adults. The fact that they seem to have broken up sometime between Turbo and DinoThunder does not change this--I can certainly understand their reluctance to try a long-distance relationship._

_As for The Letter (deep breath): I believe it's genuine, that Kim wrote it, and that she meant what she said. Kim loved Tommy--but it was a teen love, a high school love, a first love. First loves seldom last forever, especially a long-distance one. Kim hadn't seen Tommy for months, and wouldn't for many months more. I think that makes it entirely plausible that she stopped loving Tommy._

_So, there you are. Tommy and Kat are going to try to reignite their relationship. Will they succeed? We'll have to see._

_Please, don't flame me about this relationship choice._

Tommy hadn't been this busy since he retired from Rangering--again. With the destruction of both Mesogog and the DinoThunder powers, things had calmed down considerably. While Tommy appreciated the peace and quiet, he was planning to disrupt it--at least temporarily--by doing something he'd been wanting to do for a long time: introduce his present to his past.

Tommy had organized a Ranger reunion.

Only three things still concerned him about it. None of them were worry about whether his latest teammates would get along with his first ones. The DinoThunder teens hero-worshipped their predecessors. And all of Zordon's former Rangers he'd talked to had been eager to meet their successors.

Worry number one was Kimberly. It had taken a long time for him to get over their painful breakup, and to be honest, some pain and anger still lingered. He'd thought long and hard before inviting her, but the team wouldn't be complete without her. Their phone conversation had been brief and uncomfortable, but at least they'd talked at all. His old friends had strongly encouraged them to put finally their feelings behind them. Neither of them was looking forward to this confrontation, but they saw the neccessity of clearing the air.

Then there was Katherine. Where Kim created trepidation in her ex, Kat created anticipation. Unlike Tommy's first break-up, theirs had been mutual. Neither had felt up to the challenge of a long distance relationship, especially after all the damage Kim did with hers. But Tommy had come to realize as time went by that he hadn't stopped loving Kat. It was just that the time had never been right for him to pick up where they left off. First there was Tommy's racing career, then going to college for his paleontology doctorate, then dealing with the fallout of the island explosion. Meanwhile, Kat had become a prominent ballet star, touring all over the world, making any prospect of a renewed relationship even more remote. But now she had just finished a tour, and had a two-month break. That was the main reason Tommy had scheduled the reunion for now. He was tired of waiting. While he would never want to take Kat's dream away from her, he was going to tell her that he still loved her, and that it was now or never.

The third problem was something the other Rangers didn't know about. Tommy had invited the Astro Rangers.

The eleven other Rangers who served under Zordon were going to be VERY unhappy about this. And Tommy didn't care.

Well, that wasn't quite true. He DID care. Cared enough to be determined that if he had to face his ghosts of the past, so did they. He knew they were exasperated by his never resolving things with Kim, but in his eyes they were committing the same sin about a much bigger issue.

Zordon's death.

Zordon's Rangers, with the exception of Tommy, still blamed the Astros for Zordon's death. And Tommy was sick of it. They WOULD see reason, he felt. He had never, and would never, use the authority of his leadership of the Power Team lightly, but he was going to use its' full extent now.

He just hoped it would be enough.


	5. Chapter 5

It was another beautiful day on Phaedos. Of course, Phaedos was as dangerous as it was beautiful, but that was also an everyday reality. As long as you stayed on the high plateau, rather than in the jungle, you had enough peace to enjoy the scenery.

Dulcea was blind to it. Not because she did not appreciate it, because she did. But today she was just too preoccupied. For the last hour her finely honed instincts were screaming their warning at her. Something _bad_ was about to happen. She hadn't felt this worked up in a long time, not since...

...not since Ivan Ooze.

She forcefully shoved those memories into the back of her mind once again. Ooze was dead and gone. The present was bad enough without bringing in the past.

There! The planet spoke to her. Something was descending through the atmosphere, pushing the air aside arrogantly, at odds with the planet itself rather than being in harmony with it.

Dulcea moved to the very edge of the plateau that was her prison. She tilted her head towards the sky.

The sky darkened.

Lightning flashed.

Thunder rolled.

And doom descended upon Phaedos.

The machine's shape offended her. It was a huge dragon, a mockery of the noble beast that had inspired more than one Zord. There was nothing noble about this dragon. It tried to make up with size and power what in lacked in spirit. It roared, its' voice oozing power and arrogance. Every animal within a hundred-mile radius--no matter how big, not matter how fierce--quavered in fear. Dulcea did not.

The dragon landed. She felt the forest scream as hundreds of trees died. She felt the ground groan as it struggled to bear up under the machine's weight. She waited.

Red eyes turned towards her, flashing in challenge. The eyes weren't real, of course. They were merely part of the fierce image, built to intimidate. She felt the machine's real eyes, its' electro-magnetic sensors, focus solely on her. She knew the machine's masters awaited a response.

She stood tall and defiant; that was all. These cowards deserved nothing more than simple acknowledgement. Not her respect, and certainly not her fear.

To her mild surprise, they seemed to realize that quickly. She felt power, building and building and building; more power than she had ever thought possible. Her whole body tingled with it.

Then a black circle of destruction spread out from the dragon's feet, and Dulcea knew she faced her end.

Let it be said: she met it with honor, with courage, and with dignity, the same principles she lived her life by. She did not falter for a second as she died. The only thought in her mind?

It would be good to see Zordon again.

Phaedos died a few seconds after she did.

(SCENE CHANGE)

Quiet reigned on the bridge of the Astro Megaship. Abnormally, it was not comfortable. The Astro Rangers, all six of them, worked in tense silence. They didn't need to communicate; their thoughts were identical.

Lerigoti had been murdered.

Karone had been kidnapped.

Evil had crept back into the galaxy while they weren't looking.

What did it take to end this? Zordon had sacrificed his powers and his very life! Wasn't that enough? Would this war never end?

Then DECA didn't just break the silence, she shattered it. "WARNING! Level 12 shockwave approaching! Impact in ten seconds!" Sirens began to scream.

The Rangers reacted like the well-oiled machine they were. In under five seconds all six were strapped securely into their stations. Shields and hull integrity had been raised to maximum. They had to be: Level 12 was the highest rank in the shockwave category system. They were almost unheard of.

The first wave sent the Astro Megaship spinning backwards like it had hit a wall. Further shocks buffeted the mighty vessel, causing several secondary systems to blow out. But the ship was also a Zord, and they were built to take punishment. The blue craft rode out the storm.

After two minutes, it was over. "Damage analysis?" Andros asked.

"Primary systems on-line at 70," Ashley reported to her husband.

"Three secondary systems off-line; the rest are at 20," TJ gave his own report.

Zhane tried to settle his queasy stomach. "It could have been much worse," he rasped. But he knew that it a way, it WAS much worse. He knew the search for Karone had been temporarily postponed. They needed to know what had caused that shockwave, and where it had come from.

Level 12 shockwaves were not caused by nature.

Cassie already had the long-range sensors on-line without needing Andros' order. Even at 70 efficiency, they were still formidable. She simply had the scanners look along the direction the wave had come from. After a minute or two, she began to get results.

"The shockwave originated on the planet Phaedos," she started, and everyone noticed Andros start at the name. "Zooming in..." she continued. Then stopped. Then did the scan again. And again.

"Cassie?" Andros was beginning to get a very bad feeling about this.

Cassie's face had gone pale. "The scanners must have been damaged more than I thought," she whispered. "According to them...Phaedos doesn't exist anymore." She looked at her fellow Rangers with tears in her eyes. "There's nothing left but rubble."

Andros could barely get the word past his suddenly dry throat "DECA?:

Even the computer seemed subdued. "In theory, the explosion of a planet could cause a Level 12 shockwave."

If the previous silence had been uncomfortable, this one was excruciating. Without saying a word, each of them realized that their retirement was over. They silently said goodbye to their hopes of a normal life.

Shaking himself, Carlos turned back to the helm. "Setting course for the Phaedos system, maximum hyper-rush."

As the Megaship surged forward, the other Astros turned towards their leader. He knew their unspoken question. "Phaedos is special because it's the home of the Ninjetti powers, one of the most power Ranger energy sources in existence. It isn't used much, because only the most noble, the most pure-hearted Rangers can use it. Out of Earth's Rangers, only Tommy Oliver, Adam Park, Rocky DeSantos, Aisha Campbell, Kimberly Hart, and Katherine Hillard ever used it."

Sick with realization, Ashley spoke slowly. "So, if the planet's destroyed..."

"The Ninjetti powers are destroyed too," Andros finished grimly. "That's the motive."

"How..." Cassie cleared her throat and tried again. "How many people live there?"

"That we know of? Only one." The Red Astro Ranger gave a bitter smile at their surprised looks. "One very important person. Dulcea, a Morphin Master. Very beautiful, very intelligent, and very deadly. Reputedly the best fighter in the galaxy. Which is why I'm sure whoever did this didn't dare confront her face to face."

"No, they just blew up the entire damn planet from under her feet," TJ hissed angrily. The rest agreed with him.

Three hours later, the shocked Rangers gazed at the new asteroid belt that was now Phaedos. They didn't bother looking for life signs. No one could survive that, not even a Morphin Master.

Instead, they looked for an ion trail--and found one easily. Suspiciously easily, in fact.

"They might as well have left a neon sign saying, 'follow us!'" Carlos commented.

Andros was not in the mood for humor (even less so than normal). "DECA, extrapolate their course to a likely destination."

The course came up on the main viewscreen, and all humor died from the Rangers' faces.

The people who had murdered a planet were heading directly towards Earth.

**NEXT TIME: **Sparks fly, tempers flare, and illusions are shattered as the Ranger Reunion gets underway. Tommy confronts Kimberly, Katherine confronts Tommy, and the Rangers as a whole confront the one issue that could shatter their friendship forever. And those are just the problems they KNOW about...


	6. Chapter 6

Tommy looked up at the sound of a car engine. Walking to one of the front windows, he saw Kim getting out of what was obviously a rental car. (The other Rangers still lived in California and would be driving their own vehicles). She was alone. Tommy hadn't expected her to be first, but guessed that the other Rangers wanted to give them some privacy for this conversation. He appreciated the thought.

As she walked up to his door, he noticed that she hadn't changed much on the outside. She was still short, still petite, and still wore pink, in this case a pink blouse over a white skirt. A skirt that left much of her legs bare. At one time, those legs would have distracted him. Now he barely noticed.

She gave him a nervous smile as he let her in. She wasn't looking forward to this conversation either, obviously.

They sat on his couch in painful silence for a minute. Finally, Tommy decided it was up to him to get the ball rolling. "So, let's have it."

Kim actually jumped, as she would not have at a monster attack. "Have what?"

"The reason you decided to rip my heart out and do the Mexican Hat Dance on it!" Damn, he had promised himself that he would't get angry.

Her eyes flashed. "Listen, it wasn't exactly easy for me either, buster!"

"I should hope it wasn't easy! You write a Dear John letter, and then send it to the Youth Center instead of my house so you can humilate me in front of everybody!"

"I didn't expect you to have someone read out loud to you! And I wanted to you be with your friends so they could offer support!"

"Don't expect me to believe you actually cared about my feelings!"

Suddenly the anger drained out of Kimberly's face, and she seemed to shrink in on herself as she started to cry softly. "That was what whole thing was about: feelings."

He couldn't stand to see her cry, even now. He forcibly calmed himself and took her hands in his. "I just don't understand..."

She sniffed. "When we were together, Tommy, I loved you with all my heart and soul. But the key word there is _together_. I saw you every day, fought evil alongside of you, went on dates with you. Neither of us realized how much my feelings depended on being constantly reinforced. When I moved to Florida, I lost that, and my feelings started to fade. I begin noticing other guys, begin to realize that I found writing weekly letters to you as a chore rather than something to look forward to. I was in denial about that for a long time, which is why my breakup letter was such a change of tone. How could I be in love with you and feel that way? The day before I wrote that letter, I finally realized that I COULDN"T be in love with you and feel that way. What I felt for you was gone, and that HURT. I know it was irrational, but in my pain, I wanted you to hurt too. I told myself that you feelings had probably faded too, so this was the best way out of a dead relationship. Obviously, I was wrong."

Tommy was shocked. He had never dreamed that Kim's feelings for him were never as deep as his for her. Now that he knew that, he knew that their relationship would have fallen apart eventually with or without that letter. And with that thought, the last of the pain dissipated.

He put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him. He could finally say the words she needed to hear. "I forgive you."

She looked up at him, and even with her red eyes and tear tracks on her cheeks, her smile was like the sun coming out from behind the clouds. "Thank you."

Suddenly the front door banged open. "Yo, Dr. O.! We're here!" Connor led the DinoThunder Rangers into the room, then stopped short when they saw the scene in front of them. Tommy heard Kira whisper "Way to go, Connor!"

Connor cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Um, did we interrupt you?"

Tommy looked at them, and then at Kim. And smiled. "No, not at all. Guys, this is Kimberly Hart, the first Pink Ranger. Kim, these are ex-DinoThunder Rangers."


	7. Chapter 7

Tommy excused himself from his living room to answer the knock on the door. Kim had taken a real shine his latest team, and they to her. Kira in particular was thrilled to finally be around another female Ranger.

He had a feeling the guys' eagerness, however, had something to do with that short skirt, in addition to her Ranger status.

Tommy opened his door and blinked in surprise at the multi-colored gaggle of ex-Rangers standing before him. Doing a quick head count, he realized only Kat and Justin were missing. He couldn't help feeling disappointed that the OTHER Pink Ranger wasn't there, but he was happy to see his friends nonetheless.

Jason, who stood at the head of the throng, smirked at him. "Well, the house is still standing," he said sarcastically. "I guess you and Kim worked things out."

Tommy merely smirked back. "And I guess all of you were too chicken to want to be anywhere in the vicinity while we did." He laughed at the multiple blushing faces, and pulled his oldest and best friend into a fierce hug.

After pounding each other on the back a few times, Jason pulled back. "So, you're ok, bro?"

Tommy smiled. "WE'RE ok." And that was all that needed to be said.

(SCENE CHANGE)

Two hours later, the party was in full swing. Tommy had taken care of the "food problem" by ordering enough take-out pizza to feed a small country. While this might seem extreme, remember that both Connor AND Rocky were there.

The DinoThunders had been a bit shy about being around so many famous Rangers, but the older heroes' attitude of "Once you're a Ranger, you're family" soon brought them out of their shells. Tommy himself was in a deep conversation about the pressures and perils of Ranger leadership with Jason and Connor. Trini and Tanya were regaling Kira with tales of their own male teammates "moments of stupidity", many of which seem to feature Rocky, who was valiantly trying to defend himself. He was handicapped by the fact that he was laughing as hard as they were. Billy, Haley, and Ethan had immediately entered into a science-based discussion that one would normally need multiple Phds. to understand.

Then the front door opened, and a tall blond beauty walked nervously into the room. Tommy was rendered speechless (and Connor started drooling).

The conversation slowly died down as the ex-Rangers noticed the newcomer. All eyes swung to Tommy, who had stood up and was swallowing nervously.

Tommy had, to his credit, come up with logical, well-reasoned arguments to convince Katherine to give their relationship another shot. He had come with counter-arguments for any objections she might make, and was armed with the sincerity of his love for her.

But they all went straight out the window when he looked into her crystal-clear blue eyes.

Slowly, as though he was in a trance, he walked towards her, even as she moved towards him. They stopped about a foot apart, each lost in each other's face. Kat smiled. "Tommy," she said softly.

"Kat." Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, their hands came together, they leaned towards each other, their eyes closed, and they kissed tenderly.

As if the last seven years apart had never happened. And in the end, it didn't matter.

The kiss continued until they heard Aisha exclaim, "Damn! I wanted to see him beg!"

The two lovers broke apart and blushed deeply as they felt all the eyes that were upon them. Then they looked at each other again and started laughing along with everyone else.

All was right in Tommy Oliver and Katherine Hillard's lives.

For now...

_Author's Note: I apologize for those readers who, like Aisha, wanted more melodrama in the Tommy/Kat reunion. But we just had that with Kim, and I wanted to inject some fluff into this story for a moment. Believe me, the Rangers are going to need all the happy memories they can get by the time I'm through with them! *Evil laughter*_

NEXT CHAPTER: The party's going great when Justin arrives...and turns some female heads. But when Tommy reveals his invitation of the Astro Rangers, the jovial mood comes to a screeching halt. And even as anger erupts, a dark force is closing in on Earth...


End file.
